Center Theatre
1517 Atlantic Avenue,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
1517 Atlantic Avenue,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Previous Names: Colonial Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This theater, on Atlantic Avenue, next to the larger Hollywood Theatre. It was opened on July 2, 1913 as the Colonial Theatre. By 1941 it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. On May 13, 1955 it was renamed the Center Theatre.
The Center Theatre was closed in July 1977.
Contributed by
bryan
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Recent comments (view all 34 comments)
Reopened by Hamad theatres as the Center on May 13th, 1955.
Center theatre opening 13 May 1955, Fri Press of Atlantic City (Atlantic City, New Jersey) Newspapers.com
This opened as the Colonial on July 2nd, 1913. ad posted.
A chronology of Atlantic City’s 70mm presentations history has recently been published. The Center gets some mentions in the piece.
They left out Funny Girl in 1969. It was in 70MM. Also, the Hollywood next door presented Doctor Dolittle and Airport in 70MM. They don’t even list that theater.
Mikeoaklandpark: That is because “they” found no credible evidence to support what you are claiming.
MSC77 interesting. The ACP showed it in the paper that all three were 70MM.I saw Funny Girl twice at the Center and they had a gigantic curved screen. You have any clue where they get their information from?
Mikeoaklandpark: The ACP did NOT include any “70mm” presentations notations for the three titles in question at any point during their run (unless you consider as evidence the “Produced in Todd-AO” credit embedded in the artwork of “Doctor Dolittle” and “Airport”). And having a “gigantic curved screen” is not necessarily indicative of a 70mm presentation. Ever notice the photo of the Center’s marquee during the “Funny Girl” run also lacks any mention of 70mm? As well, I’ve not found any evidence the Hollywood Theater was 70mm equipped at any point in its life. What’s your evidence it was so equipped? (And don’t you realize the “they” you keep referring to is me?)
There were several times the ACP showed in the ads for Funny Girl and Airport 70MM. yes, nothing showed on the marquee of either films that it was 70MM. I definitely remember the ads. So is the 70MM site yours? It’s awesome. I loved what you posted because I didn’t know WSS played the Virginia. And yes, the curved screen didn’t necessary mean 70MM. The screen at the Center was much better than the Virginia. The Virginia had no masking or curtains. The Center had both. So did the Roxy. I never understood why Hamid had the Virginia as the major roadhouse theater because the Roxy and Center were much better.
Mikeoaklandpark: Thomas Hauerslev is the owner/editor of the In70mm .com website. I am one of the contributing editors and the one who did up the Atlantic City article we’ve been discussing here.
I will double check the ACP ads for the films in question, though it was only a few weeks ago I did the research and is still fresh in my mind whereas I’m guessing you’re basing your claim off of a 50-plus-year-old memory of looking at those ads?
I am. The original ad was in the ACP on a Sunday. It showed Funny Girl Starting May 23 and Oliver starting May 29.Both shows were roadshow and had the mail in order info. They did not advertise Sweet Charity at the Virginia. I also know Sweet Charity closed August 14 and they opened Krakatoa August 15. Now it is possible that the ads for FG and Airport were incorrect. As I remember it was not on the posters in store windows either. Hamid had posters for all his 5 theaters all over AC in store windows. Doctor Dolittle didn’t play all summer. The Hollywood got Boom with Liz and Dick on August 8, 1968.Movies were a big thing to me as a kid and I loved the old theaters. Now AC, Ocean City and Wildwood are are defunct of movie theaters even though that is going to change this summer in Ocean City. The Sound Of Music opened the Ocean Theater in Wildwood in 1966 and it may have been 70MM. I don’t know that for sure. I do know they had a great curved screen with double curtains. I love the 70MM sight and glad you put the information out there.